The bookseller of Bissau26 Dec 2018

Last week, the Trump administration unveiled its new Africa strategy, prioritizing deeper economic ties, counterterrorism and the efficient use of U.S. aid. The strategy aims to counter Chinese and Russian interests on the continent, especially the former’s strategic use of debt to control African countries.

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) today in Cairo signed an agreement with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), launching a $1-billion Nigeria-Africa Trade and Investment Promotion Programme (NATIPP) aimed at promoting and expanding trade and investments between Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

Africa Business Magazine Interview With Paulo Gomes6 Aug 2018

The chair of the AfroChampions commission on the alliance between sovereign wealth funds and strategic funds talks about the practicalities of creating a fertile environment for African multinationals to arise.

Tokyo-based Leapfrog Ventures has launched a $4.5 million fund focusing on investments in startups across sub-Saharan Africa, centered on the countries of Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Launched by Takuma Terakubo in partnership with Samurai Incubate, the company where he formerly worked, the fund will be stationed at the well-known co-working space, kLab in Kigali, Rwanda. The plan is to make investments of approximately $50,000 each in seed-stage startups engaged in agriculture, logistics, energy, healthcare, and finance.

The closest look yet at Chinese economic engagement in Africa

Jun, 2017

China has become the largest economic partner of Africa since the turn of the millennium which ranges across trade, investment, infrastructure, financing and aid. It is also mentioned that the Africa-China trade has been growing by approximately 20 percent per year. With an increase in Chinese investments in Africa, both parties would definitely have much to gain in the long run.

As the West moves towards greater protectionism and isolationism, Singapore seeks new places to enhance their economic resilience. The government hopes to do so by diversifying its links with other countries such as South Africa, Ethiopia and Mauritius.

Here’s what Africans think about China’s influence in their countriesOct 28, 2016

Scholars and analysts debate about China’s growing influence in Africa. Just in The Monkey Cage, we’ve featured posts asking whether China’s influence in Africa is something to fear, how China’s role in Africa isn’t as dominant as we think, why fearing Chinese aid to Africa is wrong, and still more. These accounts are largely written from an American perspective.

Africa: promise, opportunities, and challengesAug 24, 2016

As global economic conditions have become more challenging, Africa’s remarkable development story of the past 15 years has lost some of its shine. However Africa’s socio-economic fundamentals are strong. This is a young continent in an ageing world; by 2034, Africa will have a larger workforce than either China or Africa. Africa is urbanising rapidly, and consumer and business spending is growing at a rapid clip. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Africa to be the world’s second-fastest-growing regional economy over the next four years.

Have the BRICs hit a wall? The next emerging marketsJan 12, 2016

Director of NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies, Johan Burger, shares his views on the geographical shift of emerging markets and the growth potential of Africa and business/economic opportunities and challenges within the continent.

Who will plan Africa’s cities?Sep 12, 2013

Africa’s cities are growing – and changing – rapidly. Without appropriate planning, they will become increasingly chaotic, inefficient and unsustainable. In many countries, planning legislation dates back to the colonial era. It is ill-equipped to deal with contemporary urban problems. A shortage of urban planning and management professionals trained to respond to urban complexity with progressive pro-poor approaches exacerbates urban dysfunction.